Friendly Presents and Sickly Kisses
by wyomingparmesan
Summary: When Adrien comes down with a sickness, Alya comes up with an idea that leads to Marinette taking care of him. Based on Marinette, Alya, and Adrien's Instagram posts from September 2019. One shot.


**A/N: Hey guys! So here's the thing, this past week I went on a cruise to Mexico, so I had no internet. To keep myself occupied when I wasn't out doing other activities, I decided to write! This ended up being wayyyy longer than I expected, which is a good thing, honestly. Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

"Marinette! You're going to be late for school, _again_!"

Marinette sprang awake as her mother's voice suddenly rang through her ears. She put a palm to her forehead, the blood rushing to her head. "I'm up, don't worry about me, Mom!", she shouted. "Ugh, got up too fast."

"Hurry Marinette!", Tikki said, popping up next to her. "You've got that big test today!"

"Oh, no," she said, throwing the covers off of herself. "Thank you for reminding me, Tikki!"

She heard a quick "No problem, Marinette" from Tikki as she got out of her bed and proceeded to get dressed.

One she was dressed and Tikki was in her purse, Marinette ran down the stairs as fast she could. "Bye, Mom," she said, grabbing a croissant from the counter. "Love you, see you later."

"Have a good day, sweetie!", Sabine said as she watched her daughter run out of the door. "Love you, too."

Despite living next to the school, Marinette almost always found herself being late to school. Maybe it was all of the late night studying, maybe it was all of the akuma fighting which caused her to have to stay up all night studying. There was never a clear answer.

Entering the school, she turned down the hall to head to Miss Bustier's room. She busted into the classroom and announced, "I'm here!"

She found the entire class looking at her, with her face turning the slightest shade of pink.

"Yes, we can see that, Marinette," said Ms. Bustier. "Though I'm happy you made it just in time for attendance."

Marinette downed the rest of her croissant and seated herself next to Alya.

"That was a close one, girl," Alya said to her. "Most of the time you get here _after_ your name gets called."

"Don't remind me," Marinette said. She was about to respond, but was distracted by the sound of their teacher's voice.

"Adrien," she said, reading from the class list. "Adrien?" The class looked over to his usual seat next to Nino, which was empty. "Alright, no Adrien today."

Marinette looked sadly at the empty seat in front of her. "Poor Adrien," she said. "Usually when he's not here, it's not for a good reason."

"He told me that he's sick," Nino told them, turning around. "Poor guy, I think he caught the bug that's been going around."

"Oh…", Marinette said, looking down at her desk.

Alya noticed the sad look on her best friend's face and put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, don't worry, I'm sure he's okay," she said. "In fact, I might have an idea so you can make sure."

She looked at her. "What is it?", she asked, curiously.

Her friend smirked. "Well, if I was sick," she began. "I'd definitely love it if someone were to bring me a care package filled with all kinds of goodies."

Marinette's eyes lit up. "Oooh, that sounds wonderful!", she said. "Maybe someone will bring him one."

Alya sighed, trying her hardest not to roll her eyes. "No, no ,Marinette," she said. "I'm saying that _you_ should make Adrien a care package and bring it to him."

Realization hit Marinette in the face. Making Adrien a care package! Why hadn't she thought of that! It was something so small, yet so fulfilling. It was a way of showing him how much he means to her, and she was all for it. Her heart started beating faster just from the thought of it.

Though there was always that one part of her brain telling her that it was a bad idea. What if she puts something he's allergic to in it? What if he thinks it's weird?

Her smile quickly turned into a small frown. "I dunno, Alya," she said, laying her head in her arms across her desk. "What if he thinks it's weird?"

"Trust me on this, girl," Alya said, returning her hand to her friend's shoulder. "He will _love_ it."

Marinette raised her head back up. "Yeah, you're right," she said. "Though, do you think you could help me with it?"

"Of course."

* * *

"Just make sure he gets a lot of rest. These things usually go away on their own in a few days, so long as he drinks plenty of fluids."

"Understood, thank you doctor," said Gabriel. "We'll make sure that he does."

The doctor nodded, leaving the room. Gabriel turned to his son, who was wrapped up in a purple blanket on his bed. "You heard him," he said. "Get some sleep, Nathalie will give you your medicine when the time is right."

Adrien tried to respond, his head pounding. "Okay," he mumbled, wrapping himself tighter in his blanket.

He watched as his father left his room, the door clicking when it closed.

Adrien couldn't remember a time when he felt this bad. His throat was so sore he could hardly talk, his nose was so stuffy he felt as though he couldn't breathe. Every part of his body ached and his face was on fire.

He closed his eyes, gently lowering himself onto his pillows. He felt a familiar paw touch his face.

"Wow, you're burning up, Adrien," Plagg said, floating close to his face. "Be right back."

The one thing that Adrien missed about being homeschooled was that he hardly ever got sick. He loved school so much, but silently wished that people would leave their germs at home.

"Here ya go," Plagg said, flying in with a washcloth that was almost sopping wet. He laid it on Adrien's forehead, who twitched slightly.

"Oh man that's cold," he said. "Thanks, Plagg."

"You're welcome, buddy," he said. "We've got to get you better so we can fight akumas anytime we need to."

"Yeah…", Adrien said, his voice trailing off. "Hey, can you do something for me real quick?"

Plagg nodded.

Adrien got up slowly, going over to sit at his computer desk. "Can you take a photo of me please?"

The kwami raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious?"

The boy nodded. "It's for my Instagram," he said.

"Ah yes, I should've known," Plagg said. He grabbed Adrien's phone, trying his best to hold it up so that he could take a picture. _Click! _"Here," he handed it back to him.

Adrien grabbed his phone, looking at the photo Plagg had just taken. "Thanks," he managed to say, coughing.

He went to his list of apps and opened up Instagram. He posted the photo, adding the caption "The one thing I miss about homeschooling was never getting sick."

Once that was done, he laid his phone on his desk and began going back over to his bed. He held onto the chair, his head spinning as he stood up. "Ugh…", he mumbled. Every step took a lot out of him. Luckily, it wasn't that far of a walk.

Finally, he made it over to his bed. Sitting down, he sighed.

Plagg watched him, a small frown forming on his face. "Yeahhhhh, I don't think we'll see Cat Noir today," he said.

Adrien shook his head. "If Ladybug needs me," he said, finally laying down. "Then I have to be there for her."

His kwami flew over to him, placing the wet washcloth back on his forehead. "You're crazy, kid," he said. "How often do you get to just lie around and sleep?"

Adrien closed his eyes. "Mmm," he said. "Hardly ever."

He heard Plagg say something, but it was drowned out by the sensation of slumber taking him over.

"…are you even listening to me?", Plagg said, turning around. His face softened when he saw the boy's sleeping face. "Aw, okay, sweet dreams, Adrien."

* * *

"Are you sure this stuff is okay?"

Marinette and Alya found themselves in the middle of Marinette's room, a medium sized basket full of goodies sitting in front of them.

"Oh, absolutely," Alya said. "He's going to love it."

Marinette bit her lip. "I sure hope you're right," she said. "I guess I should drop this off before it's too late, huh?"

"Actually," Alya began, throwing her arm across her friend's shoulder. "I was thinking that you could deliver it to him personally."

Marinette felt her face flush. "Oh, I-I," she stuttered. "I don't k-know about t-that."

"Oh, come on, Marinette!", Alya said. "Don't you think it would make him really happy?"

Marinette looked down at her feet. "I-I think, y-yeah," she said.

"Just imagine it," her friend said, walking around her. "You, in Adrien's room, he's sick and in bed," she threw her arms across Marinette's back. "And he has _you_ to take care of him for a little while."

As she listened to her best friend's words, she began to think. The idea of being alone with Adrien often made her very anxious, but this time she felt…calm. Of course, there was the obstacle of getting through the gate of his house, but sometimes his bodyguard or Nathalie would override Gabriel's rules. She just hoped it would work this time.

She turned to Alya. "You know, I think you might be right," she said. "I have a feeling Adrien will love it."

Alya squealed. "That's the spirit," she said, shaking her hands in the air. "Now you'd best get over there before it gets too late."

And with a goodie basket in hand, Marinette began her walk to the Agreste mansion.

* * *

_Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out. _

"You can do this, Marinette," she said to herself.

"Yes, you can," Tikki said, popping out her head out of her purse.

Marinette looked at her. "Thanks, Tikki," she said. She stared at the doorbell in front of her, with her finger dangling in front of the button. She took another deep breath, and-

_Ding_

The bell rang and soon enough, out came the camera eyeball.

She always found herself getting spooked by that thing, no matter how many times she had been over to Adrien's house. She stared at it anxiously, then heard Nathalie's voice from the other side.

"Please state your name and business," she said.

Marinette took a step back. "Hi, I um, it's me Marinette, ya know, one of Adrien's classmates-er, friends," she said, smiling sheepishly. "I heard that he was sick, so I made him this 'get well soon basket' with all kinds of stuff in it, and I was, um, wondering if maybe I could give it to him?"

The camera went back inside of its hole, and the gate opened.

She giggled, a slight smile on her face. She grabbed the basket and headed up to the door. The door opened before her and she was greeted by Nathalie.

"I'll take you to see Adrien, come with me," she said, gesturing for Marinette to come inside. She led her to a room upstairs on the right. She put her hand on the doorknob and turned to the girl. "He just had some medicine not long ago, so he might be sleeping. I'd advise you to be quiet if you can."

Marinette nodded. "Don't worry, I will," she said. She watched as Nathalie opened the door, and she began to go inside. "Also, thank you," she said, turning to her. "Adrien is…very important to me and hearing he was sick made me so worried so I just, um, yeah."

Nathalie shook her head. "You're welcome, I understand," she said. "Normally, I'd refuse, but seeing as you've been so good to Adrien and he seems very fond of you, I thought I could make an exception." She began to walk towards the stairs. "Now if you'll excuse me, Mr. Agreste has a lot of paperwork that needs done, so please, just let me know when you're ready to leave."

Marinette nodded. "Okay," she said, stepping inside. Nathalie's words made me smile. Adrien? Fond of _her_? If Nathalie knows about her then he must talk about her a lot. She could feel her heart fluttering in her chest just thinking about it.

Adrien's room was massive, bigger than her whole apartment included with the bakery, even. She took a moment to look around. It had been some time since she was last in his room, though it was mostly when she was Ladybug. Finally, she could be here as herself.

She walked around the corner to where Adrien's bed was and felt her heart skip a beat in her chest.

He was sleeping on his back, his blanket tugged all the way up to his shoulders. Small pieces of hair fell in his face and his rosy cheeks were more flush than usual.

She felt herself sigh in awe of how adorable he looked. She always thought he was cute, but there was something about him now that just made him seem so cute, so…precious.

She found herself standing there, watching him for a few minutes. Something about it felt so strange, and it really was, but she also felt so calm.

That was when she realized that she was still holding the basket in her hands. She looked at the computer desk that was close to his bed, and pursed her lips. She knew that if Adrien woke up and saw her there, he'd probably get a bit freaked out, so leaving the basket with a note was probably the best option.

On the other hand though, she had a feeling it would make him happy to see that she came to check on him.

_Ding_

Her thoughts were interrupted by a text message. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and looked at it.

"_Did you make it in alright?_", read the text message from Alya.

She smiled, and texted her friend back.

"_Yeah, but he's actually asleep_," she replied. "_So I wonder if I should just leave_."

Just as she hit send, she noticed Adrien beginning to stir.

"Mmm," he mumbled, coughing afterwards. Without opening his eyes, he put a hand to his forehead. "Ohhh, ow."

Marinette jumped a bit when she heard his voice. "Eek!", she let out unintentionally. She turned back to look at him.

Luckily, it didn't seem like he heard her.

She approached him quietly, as not to startle him. He had his head leaning back, a pained look on his face.

The sight made her heart hurt. Adrien was always such an upbeat, happy person, so to see him being so miserable definitely was not something she wanted to see. It as that moment she knew that Alya was right. Adrien did need her. Now was the time she needed to think of how to approach him without spooking him.

Marinette could go up to him and brush the loose locks of hair away from his face, or maybe she could walk out, knock on the door, and then let him tell her she can come in.

She sighed. Neither seemed like the best idea, so she just went with her original idea.

Trying to move as slowly and quietly as possible, she stood next to his bed. He had a hand over his face, so she knew he couldn't see her.

Taking a deep breath, she leaned down so that she was almost even with his face. "Hi, Adrien," she whispered.

She watched as he took his hand from his face, turned his head towards her and opened his eyes. He squinted from the bright light, and blinked a couple of times. "Marinette?", he asked, squinting. "Is that you?"

She hesitated for a second. "Y-Yeah, it's me," she said, nervously. "Sorry if I scared you."

"No, no, it's okay," he said. "I just wasn't expecting any visitors today." A smile grew on his face. "I'm really happy to see you."

She returned his smile with one of her own. "I'm happy to see you, too," she said. "Alya and I made you this." She gestured towards the basket on his desk.

He sat up slowly, throwing the covers off slightly to reveal he wasn't wearing a shirt. Looking over toward his desk, he saw the basket that was filled with many goodies. "Bring it here," he said, holding his arms out.

Marinette heard him ask, but she was frozen from seeing him without a shirt on. She'd never seen him that way before, and she felt her cheeks burn slightly.

He noticed her staring and pulled the covers over himself. "Sorry," he said quickly, his cheeks burning. "Like I said, I wasn't expecting anyone."

"I-It's okay," she said. "L-Let me g-get it." She grabbed the basket from his desk, and sat it down in front of him on the bed.

His eyes widened as he examined the basket in front of him. There were many items one would use when sick, like throat drops, soup, and cough syrup. The smile on his face grew bigger as he began to open it. "Wow, Marinette," he said. "This is amazing, thank you."

Marinette felt her blush deepen. "You're welcome," she said. "We didn't really know if there were certain things you prefer or can't have, so we kinda just improvised."

"I'm not picky, trust me," he said, trying to laugh. "My throat has been killing me."

She watched as he put his head in his hands and groaned. "Maybe you should lie down again," she said, standing up.

Without saying a word, he laid back and she pulled the covers over him again.

"Thanks," he said, coughing. "I think I overdid it."

Marinette sat down next to him, wiping loose pieces of hair from his face. "Yeah, you should take it easy," she said. "In fact…"

She brushed all of Adrien's hair from his face, and placed her forehead against his. She could feel the hot sensation underneath, burning against her already warm face. "Adrien, you're burning up," she said, worriedly.

"Mhm," he mumbled. "And my entire body aches."

"I'll be right back," she said, getting up. She watched as he closed his eyes again, and noticed that there was a damp cloth on his side table. Grabbing it, she walked to the bathroom to wet it again.

When she came back, Adrien was almost asleep again. "Here," she said, sitting down next to him once again. She folded the cloth and laid it across his forehead. "That should help with your fever."

He responded with a yawn, snuggling into his pillow.

Marinette smiled as she watched him. It was so hard not to kiss him right then. The soft look on his face as he began to dream, the pieces of golden hair that clung to his face from the sweat of the fever, everything about him was just perfect to her.

She figured that with him going back to sleep, it was about time for her to make her leave. He could hear her small footsteps as she headed towards the door, and rested himself on his arms. "Marinette," he said softly.

She turned around and looked at him. "Yes?", she asked.

He pouted. "Please don't leave yet," he said, a hint of sadness in his voice.

Marinette frowned a bit when she saw the sad look on his face. "But you need your rest," she said, walking back towards him. "I don't want to bother you too much."

He laid back down, resting his head on one of his arms so that he could see her. "You could never bother me, Marinette," he said, a small smile on his face. "I enjoy every minute we spend together, no matter my condition."

She turned her head away slightly to hide the blush on her face. "Adrien…", she said, moving her eyes towards him. "It's so hard to refuse when you say sweet things like that." They laughed as she went back to sit next to him on his bed.

"That's just my 'Agreste Charm'," he said, making her laugh harder. His smile grew wider as he watched her laugh. There was something so amazing about it, something so…beautiful.

He still remembered back on the first day of school when he gave his umbrella to her. It accidentally closed on her, it made him laugh, and she laughed as well. That was the moment he knew she was his friend, and that gave him the happiest feeling.

Marinette stopped laughing when she noticed him looking at her. "W-What is it?", she stammered. "D-Do I have something in my teeth?" She started rubbing her teeth.

"It's nothing, I just…", he started, his voice trailing off.

She looked at him, a curious look on her face. Before she knew it, he had his arms thrown around her, surrounding her in a big hug.

Her face was burning with an even more intense red as she felt his arms squeezing her. She heard him sniffle. "Adrien?", she asked, wrapping her arms around his back.

"I know I've never told you this before," he began, hugging her tighter. "But you're one of my best friends."

He felt a few tears run down his cheeks. "You know that I've never really had friends before, so that's probably not saying much, but," he continued. "I'm really glad that I met you, Marinette."

She closed her eyes and rubbed his back. "Aw, don't cry," she said, comfortingly. "It's okay."

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm just really happy that you came to see me today." He pulled away to look at her. "It gets really lonely here with my dad and Nathalie always being busy. I mean, I guess I could hang with Gorilla, but you know he doesn't talk much."

She placed a hand on his cheek, her face softening. "I'm really happy to have you as a friend, too, Adrien," she said, wiping a tear from his cheek. "And you know I'm always here if you need me."

"Merci beaucoup, Marinette," he said, hugging her again. "You really are amazing."

She returned his hug, resting her head on his shoulder. "De rien, Adrien," she said. "I'm sorry you're sick, too."

He sniffled. "It's okay," he said. "I just wish I didn't feel like I was dying."

"You'll get better soon, I know you will," she said. "And I'll even bring you all of your schoolwork until then."

"That would be awesome," he said.

She pulled back to look at him. "How's your fever?", she put a hand to his forehead. "It doesn't feel as hot as it did earlier."

"Thank goodness," he said, wiping sweat from his forehead. "I'm actually feeling better, and…I think it could be because of you, Marinette."

"Maybe so," she said. "Or maybe _you_ just have a good immune system." She poked him in the stomach.

"What about both?", he said, a smirk on his face. "Seriously though, today was actually amazing." He took her hands in his. "And this is coming from someone who's a model."

Marinette had a similar smirk on her face. "Yes, yes it was," she said, squeezing his hands. "But, I think it's time for me to leave, for real this time."

He sat back. "Oh, alright," he said, yawning. "I think I need to go back to sleep anyway."

As Adrien laid back down, Marinette pulled the covers over him. "Yeah, I think that's a good idea," she said, tucking him in. "Rest will help you get better."

He took a deep breath and relaxed into his pillows. "Mmm, yeah," he mumbled, closing his eyes.

Still watching him, Marinette got off of his bed and moved to stand beside him. "Sweet dreams, Adrien," she said, leaning down to give him a kiss on the forehead. "I'll see you later."

His eyes opened in surprise, and he felt his cheeks burn. "Come closer," he said. She moved closer to his face, allowing him to give her a small kiss on the nose. "Goodbye, Marinette."

Her cheeks flushed, and they looked at each other with goofy smiles on their faces. As Adrien closed his eyes once again, Marinette began to walk off. She turned around to see him looking so peaceful as he began to drift to sleep.

As she walked towards his door, she looked down at her feet and whispered, "_I love you, Adrien_."

With her heart beating fast in her chest and a blush on her cheeks, she took one last look at him before leaving his room.

* * *

"Oh, tell me alllllll about it, girl," Alya said as she looked at Marinette's face on the other side of her phone. "I want every detail."

"Alya!", Marinette said, throwing her hand over her pink face. "I told you, it was nothing!"

"Mhm, you don't act this way when it's just _nothing_," said Alya, teasingly. "I have a feeling you did more than you're letting on."

Marinette took her hand from her face and threw it in the air. "I'm telling you, all I did was drop the basket off and we talked for a bit," she said. "It was nothing really."

"So what you're telling me is," Alya began, a smirk on her face. "You actually _talked_ to him instead of going all '_bluh bluh bluh_'?"

Marinette rolled her eyes as she watched her best friend imitate her. "Yes, I did, thank you very much," she said in a sassy tone.

"Aww, our little Marinette is growing up," Alya said, laughing.

"Alya! Please!", Marinette said, her face growing pinker.

Alya put a hand over her face to try and calm her laughing. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry," she said. "But really, how was it?"

Marinette rolled over onto her back. "It was…_amazing_," she gushed. "He didn't feel that well and I felt so bad. I helped him with his fever and made sure he got a lot of rest, after I left of course."

"Aww," Alya said, resting her cheek on her palm. "What did he think of our basket?"

"He _loved_ it!", Marinette said. "I thought he was gonna cry, it was so cute." She thought back to the moment they had shared together and it made her heart skip a beat once again. Just the two of them, sitting there in each other's arms. Her rubbing his back as he cried. It was amazing.

"Uh oh, girl," Alya said, smirking at the funny look on her friend's face. "There was something else wasn't there?"

Marinette shook her head. "N-Nope, that was it," she said. "W-Well, he also kinda hugged me and cried and told me that I'm one of his best friends." She reaches out to cover head face with a pillow.

Alya's mouth gaped open as she gasped. "Oh my gosh…", she said. "That is _the_ best thing I have ever heard!" She heard a sniffle through her phone. "Marinette, are you…are you crying?"

Marinette wiped her eyes. "No…okay, maybe just a little," she said. "It's just that, I love him so much, ya know? And I know that he probably doesn't feel the same way about me, but just to know that he cares so much about me." She paused. "That meant _so, so_ much to me, ya know," she said, her lip quivering.

"Aw, it's okay," Alya said, trying her best to comfort her through the phone. "That's really great, Marinette. I'm so happy for you." She moved her face closer to the screen. "And who knows? Maybe he _does_ have feelings for you."

"Thank you, Alya," Marinette said, grabbing a tissue to wipe her nose. "I hope so too, but right now, I just love being close to him, no matter what."

"That's the spirit," Alya said. "Alright well, it's getting late and I think we both need some sleep. _Especially _you since ya know, you had so much fun with Adrien today."

They laughed.

"Yeah, I am getting kinda tired," Marinette said, yawning. "Goodnight, Alya!"

"Goodnight, Marinette!", Alya said before ending the call on her phone.

As Marinette laid down in her bed, she thought back to earlier that day. It was something so simple. All she did was bring Adrien a gift while he's sick. Somehow, it ended up become more than that to the both of them. They shared a moment, a moment neither of them would forget. For her, it was a mere taste of how she wishes they could be. She loved him with every fiber of her being, and it made her heart ache when she remembered that he probably didn't feel the same way.

The one thing she took away from this, though, is that she and Adrien are friends. "Friend" was a word she heard often when he was referring to her. She knew deep in her heart that no matter how frustrating it was at the moment, that it was enough. Adrien cared about her, he really did, and that was enough to put her mind at ease for awhile.

Adrien was her _friend_ and she was his too. She'd do anything for him, and she hoped he'd do the same for her.

With that, she found herself sound asleep.

* * *

Marinette awoke the next morning, opening her eyes and quickly shutting them again. She groaned and put a hand to her sweaty face. Just making a mere sound made her throat burn like forest fire. Her skin felt hot to touch, pieces of hair stuck to her face from the sweat.

Tikki hovered over her holder, examining her. Despite being underneath her comforter, she was shaking and her skin was paler than usual. Beads of sweat dripped down her face from the fever, her eyes squinting in pain. She flew down closer to her face. "Marinette," she said softly.

She opened her eyes to look at Tikki. "What?", she managed to say before grabbing her throat and crying out in pain.

"It's okay, don't speak," Tikki told her. "I was going to say that I think you may have gotten the sickness that Adrien has."

Marinette closed her eyes again as the pain in her throat soothed. Wanting to speak, but not wanting to hurt her throat again, she grabbed her phone from the nightstand. She typed up a message, and turned the phone to Tikki.

"_I think you might be right_," she read from Marinette's phone. "If that's the case, then I think you need to stay home and rest."

Marinette pouted and covered her face with her blanket. Missing school was always something she hated because she hated being behind in class. Tikki was right though, especially since her body ached so much that she couldn't even get out of bed.

The kwami took note of her facial expressions and rubbed her hair. "Aw, don't worry, Marinette," she said, comfortingly. "I'm sure Alya could bring you your work."

Marinette nodded, grabbing her phone again. She opened up the photo app and handed it to Tikki.

"You want me to take a picture?", she asked, to which Marinette nodded in reply. She snapped a photo of her with her blanket covering her face. "All done!"

Marinette grabbed her phone back and opened up Instagram. She posted the photo, adding the caption "I feel awful." Within a few minutes, she got many comments wishing for her to get better.

It made her happy that so many people cared so much about her, even if they were a bunch of strangers on the internet. A notification that Alya commented on her post popped up, so she clicked on it.

Her best friend's comment was simply the "eyes" emoji. She rolled her own eyes and replied back a simple "no!" She had a feeling she knew what Alya was thinking, and it was in the pit of her stomach.

Just then, her phone beeped with a text from Alya.

_I saw your post, you're sick too, girl?_

She replied back.

_Yes, and my throat hurts so bad that I can't talk, just text. _

Alya made sure to make a mental note of that as she read her best friend's message.

_Alright, well, I have a feeling you may have left out a couple of details from what you told me yesterday. _

She replied back with a smirk on her face.

Marinette found herself rolling her eyes yet again. Time to find out if her gut feeling was right.

_I'm telling you, I told you everything! What is it that you think Adrien and I did?_

Alya shook her head, laughing a little at her best friend's annoyance.

_It's pretty obvious, girl. Adrien is sick, you went to visit him, and now you're sick. What else could it have been? You guys smooched. _

Marinette threw her hand down and replied. She knew it, she felt it down in her stomach. Alya wasn't _technically _wrong, though they never kissed on the lips.

_No we didn't, Alya! He only kissed me on the nose and I kissed his forehead, that's it!_

Alya smiled as she looked at her phone.

_So Adrien __**did**__ get you sick, that's adorable, lol. _

Marinette felt her headache growing stronger.

_Stop it, Alya, it's not funny and you know it. _

Her phone dinged as her best friend replied.

_Okay, okay, I know. Still though, that's adorable that you guys got so close : ). I'll be sure to bring you your work after school, okay?_

Marinette sighed, and a small smile formed on her face. She knew Alya would tease her that way, but remembered the events of the day before was almost enough to make her forget how awful she felt at the moment. _Almost_.

_Okay, thank you so much, Alya. Have a good day at school. _

After replying, she sat her phone down on the nightstand.

"Marinette! You're going to be late for school!", her mom yelled from downstairs.

She sat up slowly and threw the covers off of herself. Her head pounded and her body ached as the cool air brushed against her hot skin.

"Marinette you should take it easy," Tikki said.

"Mom…", she said, her voice hoarse.

Before she could get up, she heard her door open.

"Marinette, I've been calling you for the last five minutes, what are you…?", her mom said. She examined her daughter, noticing her flush face and stains of drying snot on her nose. "Oh, come here, sweetie."

Sabine walked over to her, putting a hand to her forehead. "You're burning up," she said. "No school for you today."

Marinette nodded her head, then grabbed her throat.

"Is your throat sore?", Sabine asked, getting a nod in response. "I'll get you some cough drops." She coaxed her daughter back into bed, tucking her into the covers. "In the meantime, you need to stay in bed and get _plenty_ of rest, okay?"

Marinette nodded.

Sabine kissed her forehead. "I'll be right back with your medicine," she said, heading towards the door.

As soon as she was out of reach, Tikki popped up next to Marinette's head. "Your mom is so sweet," she said. "Now you can stay here and get lots of rest in case an akuma attack happens."

Marinette closed her eyes. Akumas were _the last_ thing she wanted to think about right now. Just the thought of transforming was enough to make her head spin.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her phone beeping. Her eyes grew wide when she saw that it was a text _from Adrien. _She clicked it with her shaky fingers.

_Hey, Alya told me that you're sick : ( I'm so sorry. _

A frown formed on her face.

_Why are you sorry?_

She watched as he typed.

_Because I'm the reason that you're sick, and I feel so bad. _

She felt an aching in her heart as she read his message. He had absolutely no reason to feel bad. That was typical Adrien, though. He cared so much about her and everyone else that he was always so quick to blame himself.

_Don't feel bad, things just happen. It's been going around school, so I would've gotten it anyway. _

Adrien felt somewhat relieved as he read her message. His fingers hovered over the keyboard, contemplating what to say next. A feeling of happiness flooded through him once again as he thought back to the previous day. It meant so much to him that Marinette thought to check up on him during his time of need. He knew it was only right to do the same, even if he couldn't physically be there.

_You're right…I'm just worried about you, that's all. _

Marinette felt her heart skip a beat in her chest as she read his text. Adrien…worried…about _her_? It was such a simple sentence, but his words touched her.

_Don't worry too much, okay? You're still sick too and I'd hate for you to get worse. _

A smile grew on Adrien's face as he replied.

_I'll be fine, I promise. Just make sure you get lots of rest and drink plenty of water, okay? I'll leave you alone for now to get some sleep, talk to you later Marinette : )_

Before setting her phone down, she sent him one last message.

_I will, thank you for checking up on me, Adrien. I appreciate it. Talk to you later. _

She sat her phone down on her nightstand, then quickly snuggled herself deeper into her comforter. Adrien was becoming closer to her, and she was just now realizing it. It was amazing how something so simple could bring them closer together.

With a smile on her face, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

Adrien sat his phone on the table next to him and laid his head back on his pillow, a big smile on his face. He watched as Plagg hovered above his face.

"Aww, someone's happy today," he said, crossing his arms.

"Of course I am, Plagg," he replied. "Marinette is…amazing."

"Oh really?", Plagg teased. "I thought she was 'just a friend'?"

Adrien raised an eyebrow. "So I can't think that my friends are amazing?", he asked.

"Of course you can," he said. "But you care about Marinette as _more_ than that and you know it."

"Whatever Plagg," Adrien said. "I know how I feel and that's what matters."

"You got me there," Plagg said. "Anyway, I'm going for some cheese, get some more sleep, will ya?"

"Have fun," Adrien said, turning over on his side.

As he closed his eyes, he thought about what Plagg had said. He knew it in his heart that Ladybug was the one he loved. Whenever he thought about Marinette though, something felt…different.

She was an amazing girl, so smart, so funny, so creative, so…beautiful. He felt his cheeks flush as the thoughts ran through his mind. Whenever he was around her, he just felt so _safe_, like he knew she'd never let anyone hurt him. He knew in his heart he'd never want anyone to hurt her either, not even himself.

Maybe he _did_ like Marinette as more than a friend, that was something only time would tell. As he drifted off to sleep, he smiled to himself.

There was one thing he knew for sure, though.

He knew that Marinette was special to him, and that meant more than anything else.

* * *

**A/N: And there you have it! I was inspired by the Instagram posts from this past week, and I knew I had to do my own take on it. Now, I know that Marinette actually got sick from being around Cat Noir when they did patrol together (as seen in one of Alya's posts), but I had this idea so I did this instead. Until next time, see ya!**


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